


Lucy and the Hazbin Hotel

by Chaunceytron



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2019-11-23 14:30:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18153083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaunceytron/pseuds/Chaunceytron
Summary: Lucy and company meet the wonderful creatures of the Hazbin Hotel Universe while trying to get home. (Originally started as part of Lucy's Adventures, but it turned into its own thing)





	1. Chapter 1

Lucy cursed under her breath as she got up off of the ground. Falling out of the ship wasn’t part of her plan, and she hoped that David could at least steer it to safety with Anti’s help. The last world had been exceedingly dangerous. In order to escape, Lucy had been forced to pull some quick dangerous maneuvers to avoid enemy fire. Clearly, she’d misjudged. They’d made it into the next world, but Lucy was now separated.  
Glancing at her watch, she sighed and dusted herself off. The watch was busted. She could repair it, but it would take time and resources that she didn’t have at the moment. She looked up at the sky. However, there was no trace of the ship.   
“Lost?” a tall man asked from the shadows. His voice reminded her of an old radio host. In fact, it almost sounded as though it came from speaker.  
“Ah, no, I’m good. Thank you though,” Lucy said and backed away warily.  
The man stepped out of the shadows, and Lucy kept her face neutral even though she felt a shiver go up her spine. Red and black was her overall impression of the stranger. His eyes, hair, and even his clothes all were shades of red and black. Animal ears and small horns protruded from the top of his head, and he had a cane that resembled a mic at the top. Lucy stood her ground in open defiance, and the stranger’s sharp smile widened a little.  
“Are you quite sure? It’s not every day that I get to see a woman fall from a blue box. Quite a sight if I do say so. I wouldn’t mind helping you… for a fee, of course. But first things first, my name’s Alastor. Yours, my dear?”  
“Lucy,” she replied with deadpan irritation. She somehow always found the strange ones. “And I don’t need your help, but thanks for the offer.”  
With a suspicious glance in his direction, she headed toward the people of this weird place. He’d probably be less likely to attack her if they were surrounded… right? As she walked up the street full of strange creatures, she noticed them gathered in front of a television store, watching the televisions in the window.  
“Because hotels are for people passing through…” a girl said hesitantly on the television screen. “…temporarily…”  
Lucy let her curiosity get the best of her as she watched. Alastor soon appeared beside her, and as she glanced at him nervously, she noticed he seemed more interested in the what was on the screen. With a sigh of relief, she backed away as the girl began to sing. A great distraction. As she crept away from Alastor, she noticed a poster. ‘Beware! The Radio Demon!” it read along with “Do not fuck with him.” Lucy took those words to heart as she quickly fled into a bar. The vibes she got from Alastor put her on edge. She’d feel more comfortable if she completely lost him before she started to look for Anti and David. The girl’s song had ended. As she silently made her way through the noisy bar, she felt as though she was being watched. Lucy made it out the back door and used her laser screwdriver to seal the door shut behind her.  
The sky was a deep red, and there seemed to be a pentagram in the sky. Taking a quick breath, Lucy climbed to the top of the adjacent building, just in time to see the door burst open. Alastor walked outside as Lucy quickly ducked down, so he couldn’t see her. Keeping low, she looked to the sky for direction. She had fallen close by, and the ship had been headed west. Hopefully, David and Anti would land the ship and wait.   
She heard the door to the back of the bar scrape closed, but she didn’t dare peek out over the ledge. He could still be waiting, watching. Alastor would probably know which way the ship went. But that was a particular can of worms that Lucy would prefer to stay closed. After all, she’d already made a deal with one shady demonic entity; she didn’t need two.  
A quick peek over the opposite side of the building gave her the confidence to jump down. Perhaps he had decided that someone else would make a better target. A lucky break for Lucy. She quickly ran from alleyway to alleyway. Hiding behind trash cans until a thought occurred to her. When Missy had left Lucy the ship, she had left Lucy some tools, and among them was a bracelet that could make Lucy look like a male version of herself. It wouldn’t be a perfect disguise, but Alastor might not look twice. It’d be better than nothing.  
Lucy strapped it on and activated it. She glanced at the window near her. No reflection of her. That was promising. Lucy stood up a bit straighter and walked with more confidence. She bumped into someone as she rounded a corner and was surprised as she knocked him down.   
“Ah, sorry about that,” Lucy said and held out a hand.  
“You should be,” the creature answered but took her hand. It was vaguely humanoid but with four arms instead of two, and Lucy couldn’t tell what gender it was… if the species of this world even had a gender.   
She noticed the stranger looking at her strangely and asked, “Something wrong?”  
The stranger smiled at her and pulled her close. It spoke in a low, seductive tone, “You could make it up to me. If you’ve got some cash, I’ve got the goods. How about it, hot stuff?”  
“Ah, no thanks,” Lucy said and let go of the stranger’s hand. “Not interested.”  
The stranger pouted and whined, “Fine… You aren’t even that cute anyway. Probably couldn’t even handle me.”  
As the stranger turned its back to her, Lucy took the time to bolt down the alleyway and back onto the street. Taking a deep breath, she started walking down the street. Soon she got to a small park. A blue box stuck out like a sore thumb, and Lucy frantically took off the bracelet before she knocked on the door. David opened the door and enveloped her in a bear hug before pulling her inside. Lucy quickly locked the door behind them.   
“What the HELL HAPPENED?!” Anti screeched.   
“My watch is broken,” Lucy explained as David let go of her. Sprinting to the console, she turned fidgeted with the chameleon circuit to make the ship blend into the environment as one of the trees in the park. “Pretty sure it’s just the screen. I’ll have it fixed soon enough.”  
“Is everything okay? You seem… stressed,” David said with worry in his voice.  
“Just… this a weird place,” Lucy said and looked to the console’s screen. The screen displayed the camera view outside. Sure enough, Alastor appeared on the camera view with his creepy slasher smile. It faltered for a second as he looked around as though confused. Changing the outside of the ship had been a stellar plan, Lucy noted and looked back to David, who was watching her anxiously.   
“What’s wrong, David? Something happen while I was away?”  
“In a manner of speaking… yes,” David said with an irritated huff. “Did you notice anything strange about Anti’s voice?”  
“His voice? No… still grating as always.”  
“How rude!” Anti said, and Lucy heard footsteps echo from the guest room before Anti strode into view.  
Lucy stared as Anti flashed her a mischievous grin. There he was… in the flesh.  
“How?” Lucy asked in a whisper.  
“I don’t need a vessel here! Cool, huh?” Anti asked before he walked over and pulled Lucy into a hug. “Not to worry, Lu. I’ll still follow your rules, and I won’t cause too much trouble… Come on! Be excited for me. I’ve been stuck in a screen for well over two years now.”  
Lucy sighed and returned the hug. “Fine, I guess. Not like I have a choice, but…”  
“But what?”  
“What kind of place is this? Is this like your world?”  
Anti looked as though deep in thought for a moment before he answered, “No. Not really. I don’t sense the same kind of force as I do at my home sweet home.”  
Lucy couldn’t help but feel relieved.   
“Hey, who’s that?” Anti asked as he watched Alastor look around the park.  
“He said his name is Alastor… I think he’s referred to as the ‘Radio Demon.’ Why?”  
“He’s dangerous,” Anti answered warily staring at the screen. “Very.”  
“Well, I have no intention of dealing with him just yet, so… I’m going to start fixing my watch. Then… I don’t know. We can plan an excursion of sorts.”  
Lucy walked into her room and took off the watch. After gathering her tools, she got to work.


	2. Chapter 2

Checking over her work, Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. The watch was fully repaired. She could hear David and Anti arguing from the other room. With a small groan of frustration, she put on the watch and left the safety of her room. Anti stared daggers at David as she entered.  
“What’s wrong?” Lucy asked with a sigh.  
“Anti would like to stay here… it would seem,” David replied with an icy calm.  
“No! I just want to take a look around, that’s all,” Anti snapped back irritably. “I haven’t been able to be free in a loooong time. Please, Lucy. Just a quick, little adventure.”  
Anti looked at her with pleading eyes, and Lucy looked down with a sigh. A glance at David told her that he was less than supportive of the “quick, little adventure.”  
“We do need some supplies…” she mused. “Some food. And some more parts. I’ve used everything we have to do some small repairs on the ship and my watch. We’re fine for now, but I’d prefer to play it safe. No doubt what’s out there is dangerous… but we don’t know if the next place will be any safer. Hell, it could be worse.”  
David stared at her for a moment before he nodded reluctantly and said, “Fine. When will we leave?”  
“Uh… well, someone should stay in the ship… just in case things get out of hand and we need the ship. Can I trust you to get along with Anti long enough to get supplies and not draw any suspicion?”  
David looked away and retorted, “I can do so… as long as he behaves.”  
Anti laughed and said, “You know I won’t. Lucy, why don’t you and I get what we need? Please. David can pilot the ship, and I’ll keep in contact with him. Let him know where we are… what we’re doing, etc.”  
“But that creature… Alastor, he followed you here,” David said and glanced at Lucy. “I doubt that he would just leave you alone.”  
Lucy sighed and pulled out the bracelet. She explained, “This changes my appearance… basically just to a male version of myself, but… it might be just enough to go unnoticed.”  
Anti snatched the bracelet from her and ran into another room while shouting, “I HAVE AN IDEA!”  
Lucy and David exchanged an uneasy look but waited for him to come running back into the room. Anti gave them a wicked grin and handed Lucy the bracelet. Lucy put it on and watched as David’s eyes went wide.   
“What’s wrong?! Did you make me look weird?!”  
“You already look weird,” Anti said with a laugh, and Lucy glared in return. “I just made it, so you’d blend in more.”  
Lucy looked to David for clarification, and he explained, “It’s as you said. You look like a male version of you… but he appears to have made some additions. If it makes you feel better, it will likely help you to blend in.”   
Holding in another sigh, Lucy looked at David and said, “Thank you.” David looked confused, and Lucy continued, “You seem to be taking this pretty well. Normally you’d be fighting to come with us.”  
“I don’t like this idea, but… I’d likely draw attention. You’re more used to adapting to strange places, and Anti is strange enough to pass for normal here. It only logical that I’m the one to stay behind. Just be careful.”  
“I will,” Lucy replied and turned to see Anti waiting anxiously by the door.   
“COME-ON-COME-ON-LET’S-GO!”   
Lucy followed him out and took a quick look around. Alastor had vanished, and she didn’t quite trust that he wouldn’t return. He was very much like a cat chasing prey. She’d move the ship elsewhere, but a couple days ago there had been a “turf war.” The park was probably the safest place, even if Alastor had an idea of where they are.   
Lucy noticed that Anti was leading them aimlessly. She grabbed Anti’s arm and led him in the direction of the store she’d seen earlier. She could at least find wires there. Anti chatted along happily as they walked, but Lucy saw something that made her stop dead in her tracks. Alastor stood in front of the store, talking to a terrified victim. She quickly pulled Anti into an adjacent alley.  
“Do you just want me to go inside? I know your electronics as well as you do,” Anti offered. “I doubt he’ll find me as interesting, and even if he does, I can defend myself. You go ahead and look for other supplies.”  
“He probably wouldn’t recognize me,” Lucy mumbled thoughtfully.  
“I wouldn’t be so sure…” Anti answered and smiled encouragingly. “I’ve got this. You just worry about getting food… I think that’s going to be a hard enough find in this place. I can find you.”  
Lucy nodded and watched as Anti confidently rounded the corner toward the store. After taking a quick breath, she walked along the stores and looked at the vending machines as she went. The vending machines didn’t sell food or drinks. Lucy stared at the labels of the different drugs with disgust.  
A sob made her jump, and she looked around. Hidden in an alcove was the girl from the television. She noticed Lucy looking, quickly wiped her face, and turned her head.  
“Are you okay?” Lucy asked and took a step closer. Most of the creatures here gave her the creeps, but this girl seemed different. Anyone who wanted to open a hotel to “rehabilitate sinners” had to be a little weird. However, Lucy didn’t sense any malice behind it. No doubt the girl just wanted to help.  
The girl said nothing, continuing to hide her face. Lucy sat down next to her and continued, “I’m to hazard a guess that the ‘turf war’ included one of your guests?”  
The girl shrank a little, and Lucy could tell that she’d hit the mark. What little confidence she’d had was shattered. Lucy tried to think of something encouraging to say but knew that even though the truth would hurt, it might be the best thing to say.  
“Did you think that ‘rehabilitating sinners’ would be easy?” Lucy asked and looked away when the girl flinched. “People don’t change overnight. It takes hard work to change yourself for the better… and a reason.”  
“A reason?” the girl asked in a low voice.  
“A reason to change and it needs to be a good one. It’s what makes the hard work worth it. What’s your reason? For the hotel?”   
Lucy glanced at the girl. She was no longer trying to make herself disappear into thin air, but she still appeared to be upset.  
“My reason… I just don’t want people to die anymore. Not when there’s another option. Isn’t Heaven supposed to be better than Hell? Shouldn’t I want what’s best for my people?”  
Lucy got up and walked over to the girl. Kneeling so she could look into the girl’s eyes, she said with a soft smile, “That sounds like a good enough reason to me. Now all you need to do is determine your clientele’s. Give them something to work towards and address why they’re doing so. And don’t be afraid to go hard on them. Sometimes that’s what people need.”  
The girl now looked at Lucy with hope in her eyes, which caused Lucy to shrink back a little. Grasping Lucy’s hands in hers, the girl asked excitedly, “Would you like to come work at the hotel?! I can’t afford to pay you a lot, but there’s plenty of food… We don’t exactly have as many guests as we were hoping for, but… I feel like you can help him in a way I can’t.”  
The girl looked at Lucy with puppy-dog eyes, and she could feel her resolve to run crumble. Lucy did need food. But was food in Hell even edible for her? Just how different would it be? Plus she couldn’t really give a two week notice.  
“Look, I’m not really from around here. Mostly just passing through. I don’t want to get your hopes up or make promises that I can’t keep.”  
The girl looked confused but said, “That should work. Hotels are for people passing through, right? I know what we can do! I’ll pay you daily. That way even if you do leave early, you still get paid most of what I owe you. Deal?”  
Lucy thought it over for a moment, but she didn’t think she’d get a better offer. Besides, Anti said that he’d be able to find her. Lucy could at least check it out.  
“Deal.”  
The girl’s eyes lit up, and she held onto one of Lucy’s hands as she bolted down the street towards the hotel. Lucy found herself being dragged most of the way. They entered the lobby to see a mildly interested, fluffy, humanoid, spider creature eating a taquito.  
“Hey, Charlie. The strawberry pimp is here,” the creature said in a bored tone, and Lucy recognized his voice somewhere. But she couldn’t place quite it.  
“Hello, Charlie,” another familiar but more insidious voice said, and Lucy turned to see Alastor enter the room. “Found a new client?”


	3. Chapter 3

A loud, beeping sound woke Lucy, and she used to hand to search for the alarm’s off button. Fourth time’s the charm. After rising from her bed, she walked to the shower. The warm water helped her shake off the sleepiness. Having the ship disguised as a wardrobe in her hotel room had been David’s brilliant idea. Her bracelet could charge through the night, and she could sleep in her own bed. David was nearby if she needed him, which made him more relaxed. The only problem was Anti. He’d decided that he needed to do some more research on Alastor and had wandered off on his own. Lucy couldn’t blame him though. Even though Alastor didn’t seem to pay her much attention, he still put Lucy’s nerves on edge.  
After getting dressed, she walked into the main console room to see David looking over the information Anti had found. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. Greeting David, she took the bracelet off the charger. She hesitated for a moment. They wouldn’t find the next world if she just stayed here, and that thought was enough to put on the bracelet.  
“Be safe,” David said, looking up from Anti’s notes.  
“Sure thing. Aren’t I always though?” Lucy asked with a laugh and exited the ship.  
A sound from downstairs caught her attention, and she quickly locked the door as she exited the room. It sounded like Alastor. What could be terrifying enough to cause Alastor to freak out? Lucy bolted down the stairs and toward the ballroom.  
“I told ya not to come in here!” Angel’s voice echoed as Lucy approached.  
“What are you doing?!” Alastor shouted, sounding horrified.  
“Would you like for me to perform some services for you, Al?”  
“NO! Oh God! Put it AWAY!”  
Lucy stopped right where she was and realized that could walk away. Right now. She’d never have to know what was going on in there. She could just… leave. With a sigh, she walked into the doorway to see two stripper poles, a horrified Alastor, and a naked Angel.  
“Hello there, kitten. Did ya come here to play?” Angel asked with a purr.  
Alastor quickly bolted to Lucy and used her as a shield. Closing her eyes with a sigh, she tries to gather her thoughts.  
“Angel… we’ve talked about this kind of thing. You’re clearly making Alastor uncomfortable. Apologize… and put on some damn clothes.”  
“Playing hard to get still, huh?” Angel said from closer than expected, and Lucy opened her eyes to see his staring directly into hers. “You should join me. Loosen up a little.”  
Lucy panicked and took a step back, but then an idea came to her. She smirked and took off her belt. Giving him a sultry smirk, she replied, “Okay then, sexy. Why don’t you show me how it’s done?”  
As Angel happily raced toward one of the poles, Lucy grabbed Alastor and pushed him out the door. Using the belt to loop through the handles of the double door, she shut the doors before cinching the doors shut. She chuckled at the bewildered look on Alastor’s face.  
“HEY! LET ME OUTTA HERE!” Angel’s muffled voice came from the ballroom.  
“Where’s Alastor’s apology?” Lucy shouted back. “And get dressed!”  
“It’s called the ‘ball’ room, Barry!! If I can’t let ‘em swing loose and free in here, then WHERE?!”  
“You HAVE a ROOM! No excuses! You need a time out!” Lucy shouted back and gestured for Alastor to follow her. “You don’t really need that room right now, do you?”  
“Ah, no. Thank you, Barry, but… if you don’t mind me asking, what was that?”  
“Do you mean Angel’s junk or my well-executed plan? Angel has the attention span of a goldfish, so I decided to distract him with some light flirting then trap him and maybe get an Angel-free breakfast. But… I have to admit… it was a little embarrassing,” Lucy said, running her fingers through her hair nervously. She looked back to Alastor, put one of her fingers to her lips, and said, “But that part is between the two of us, okay? No need to let Angel know.”  
“No, Sir,” Alastor said with his trademark smile. “Could you teach me?”  
“How to pole dance? Angel would probably be a better instructor,” Lucy answered, certain that he was trying to mess with her.  
“No! Heavens no! How to flirt. It seems quite useful. Especially when dealing with Angel.”  
“You don’t know how to flirt?” Lucy asked him with a raised eyebrow. “I was an engineering student, and even we knew how to flirt. Just how big of a rock were you living under?”  
Lucy opened the door to the kitchen, hoping that would be an end to the discussion. Charlie stood in the middle of the kitchen. Flour covered her apron in splotches, and her hair didn’t look much better. As she noticed Alastor and Lucy walk into the kitchen, she gave them a radiant smile and said, “Breakfast will be ready soon. I’m makin’ waffles!! Hey… have you seen Angel around? I’m making some for him too.”  
Lucy spoke up quickly, “I’m sure he’s hanging around here somewhere. Probably working on something. He’ll turn up soon. He always does.”  
Charlie nodded happily and continued working on breakfast. Lucy used the opportunity to duck into the dining room where Vaggie sat, reading the paper.  
“So where is he really?” Vaggie asked and looked up at Lucy from the paper.  
“Naked and locked in the ballroom with two stripper poles.”  
After looking perplexed for a moment, Vaggie returned her attention to the paper and chuckled. “Don’t want to know the story behind that and don’t need to. Thanks. I’ll enjoy the silence while it lasts.” Vaggie looked up again and gave Lucy a smile before her eyes narrowed.  
Alastor had entered the room and said enthusiastically, “Okay, Barry! I’ve got it.”  
Lucy sighed and decided to humor him for now. “Go ahead.”  
Alastor cleared his throat and said in a low voice, “Hello, Darling. There’s something I want to show you… just between you and me.” He finished with a suggestive wink.  
“I… uh, I hated that. A lot,” Lucy said truthfully and watch Alastor’s face grow more confused.  
“You sounded like you were trying to lure him somewhere to kill him,” Vaggie said, looking confused and horrified. “What were you trying to do?”  
“The flirting thing,” Alastor said irritably but still with a smile. “What did I do wrong?”  
“Your tone… your choice of words. There was a lot that was wrong, but honestly if your goal is to trick Angel into leaving a room, then that might be enough. Or you could just throw money into a room and close the door behind him. That’s actually a more reliable way to get rid of him. It’s not like he’s a good listener anyway.”  
“He listens to you… on occasion,” Alaster pointed out when the sound of a door slamming open caught their attention.  
“I’M FREE! Barry, where are you?” Angel called in a maniacal tone.  
Lucy sat down in a chair and waited for the fluffy beast to walk in. Angel finally appeared with a slight coat of flour coating his hair.  
“I’ve FOUND you!” he said in a sing-song tone, clutching the broken belt in one of his hands. “Now… you and I are going to play a game to make up for the stress you caused me.”  
“Charlie’s making waffles,” Lucy replied calmly and watched Angel’s mood completely change.  
“Aw, but pancakes would be so much better! Maybe I can get her to change it… for me at least,” Angel said before disappearing back into the kitchen.  
“What would you recommend?” Alastor asked thoughtfully and took the seat beside her.  
“Well, I prefer waffles, but it really has more to do with texture than taste.”  
Alastor’s eyes narrowed as though he suspected her of taunting him, but he clarified, “About my flirting problem.”  
“I think you’re just fine just being yourself,” Lucy said tiredly. “I’m not going to help you learn how to manipulate people better than you do already.”  
“Are you afraid that you’d fall for my charms?”  
“No. Not even a little. I just don’t want to be responsible for giving a sociopath more tools.”  
Alastor watched her in silence for a few moments before he asked, “Do you have a sister? You look remarkably like someone I met a few days ago. She even had the same dismissive attitude.”  
Lucy’s heart raced, but she forced herself to keep a straight face and remain calm. She looked Alastor in the eyes and asked in an even tone, “Oh? Did you hit on her and she ran away? That’s not dismissive. That’s smart.”  
“So do you know her?” Alastor asked.  
“Nope. I don’t even have a sister.”  
Alastor stared at her as though trying to figure her out when Angel walked into the room carrying three plates of pancakes and a container of syrup. He placed a plate in front of Lucy then Alastor then himself.  
“I admit that I made Alastor uncomfortable. And although that’s no fault of mine, I made apology pancakes. Enjoy,” Angel said with a smile.  
“So I think we all can agree that they’re likely poisoned,” Lucy said with a suspicious glance at Angel Dust.  
“No! I was being NICE!”  
The front desk bell rang. A welcome reprieve. Lucy excused herself to see who it was. Glancing back, she saw Angel was trying to feed Alastor the questionable pancakes. She’d made the right decision. She entered the room to see a snakelike demon waiting patiently.  
“Good morning. I am here to inquire about the one known as Angel Dust.”  
Lucy noticed with some amusement that he elongated the sounds of his s’s like a cartoon snake. Holding back a smile, she asked, “Did he do something wrong? Again?”  
“Indubitably, I’m afraid. Are you one of his friends?”  
“’Friend’ is a strong word. More like mentor.”  
“Ah, well, I see,” the snakeman said, and Lucy felt a mist hit her face. She held onto the desk before feeling her legs give out. “Apologies.”


	4. Chapter 4

The whirling of a machine woke her up. Her head pounded as she opened her eyes to peer into the darkness.   
“Oh, she’s awake, boss!” an egg creature shouted to the snakeman.  
“Interesting,” the snakeman said with an interested look. “He should be out for at least another hour. Oh well. I shall introduce myself, I am Sir Pentius, and soon everyone will realize my power!”  
Lucy chuckled, and Sir Pentius frowned and continued, “You seem to be ignorant of the danger in which you find yourself.”  
Lucy laughed even more and said, “I’m sorry, but your name… is ‘Serpent’-ius. And I thought Angel’s name was a bit on the nose. What’s your plan, ‘boss’? Angel isn’t going to give you anything for me, and you just stole an employee of the princess. How do you think this is going to work out for you?”  
“You have much to learn. The princess is a do-gooder pushover. The royal family doesn’t usually mess in the affairs of us peasants. Soon all of this area will belong to me, including that eyesore of a hotel.”  
Lucy bit her tongue and asked, “What about Alastor? I thought he was some big-wig. You think he’ll just let you take his turf?”  
“Alastor is above worrying about turf, and he definitely isn’t worried about you. I doubt he’ll even notice my takeover. Now I must be off. Places to see. Things to destroy.”  
Sir Pentius rushed off with a flourish and closed the door behind him. Lucy almost fell to the floor when the machine roared to life and jerked upwards. Clearly this machine had been through the ringer. Lucy heard one of eggman fall nearby and purposefully knocked over her chair. Wincing in pain, Lucy asked, “I’m sorry, sir, but could you take the glove off my left hand. I think it’s bleeding.”  
“The boss didn’t say we couldn’t.”  
“Maybe she’s playing a trick.”  
“What would I do with my glove off?” Lucy asked in a pleading tone. “Please.”  
“Okay but be still. We’re watching you.”  
“Thank you.”  
As the eggman slipped off the glove, Lucy grabbed the handcuffs and felt them disappear. The eggman dropped the glove in fear. Lucy grasped it and quickly put it back on. The eggmen shuddered in fear, but Lucy juts turned to leave. A jolt of electricity made her fall to the ground. One of the eggmen had a cattle prod of some kind.   
“The bossman told us to keep you here.”  
“Sit down, or we’ll have to use it again.”  
“I wish he’d use it on me,” one of them said dreamily.  
Lucy winced as she pulled out the laser screwdriver from her arm. With one shot the eggman’s weapon was put out of commission. They scrambled away in terror. Lucy brushed herself off and glanced at the bracelet. The electric shock had destroyed the battery at the very least. She swore under her breath, and an explosion made the machine shake.  
Over the machine’s radio, she heard Alastor’s voice, “Surrender the boy, or your demise will be the new story they tell the new ones about. For everyone will be able to hear it.”  
Lucy opened the door to see a terrified Sir Pentius. Bombs shook the machine, but he tried desperately to stay in control. The door squeaked closed behind her. Sir Pentius turned to see her, and his cobra-like hood fully extended. Anger and fear turned into confusion as he looked at her.  
“Wait, who are you? Where’s the boy? Are you… the boy?” Sir Pentius asked before Lucy kicked him in the face.  
“Astute observation, Penny,” Lucy mumbled and looked at the machinery. With a smirk, she fired up the screwdriver and got to work. Bringing the machine to a standstill was easy after making a few adjustments. She used the microphone to announce, “I’m okay. Please… STOP attacking the GODDAMN machine. Sir Pentius is taking a nap right now. I’m fine. I just need to find an exit. Do NOT try to MAKE me one! Please be patient.”  
“I already found one,” Alastor said, and Lucy jumped. “As I thought… Lucy and Barry are one and the same.”  
Alastor’s head tilted to the side as though trying to work out the mechanics of her transformation before seemingly deciding that it didn’t matter. “Come along, kitten,” he said cajolingly. “We have quite a bit to discuss.”  
Lucy took a step back, and Alastor took a longer step forward.  
“Come on now, dollface. You weren’t this afraid of me before. What changed? Perhaps… because this one is your true face? Let’s go back to the hotel, shall we?”  
Alastor stopped and held out his hand. He didn’t take any more steps towards her, and Lucy checked her watch. The breach hadn’t shown itself. Her ship was likely still at the hotel. Anti was nowhere to be found, and what other choice did she have?  
“Okay, but I don’t need to hold your hand,” Lucy said and walked past him to discover that Alastor’s way out happened to be a hole in the side of the machine.  
“Are you quite sure about that?” Alastor asked with a beaming smile.  
“I’ll find another… safer way,” Lucy snapped and started to backtrack when Alastor scooped her up in his arms. “What are you doing?!”  
“It’s the quickest way,” Alastor said cheerily. “Don’t you trust me?”  
“Clearly not. There’s got to be a better way.”  
Alastor chuckled and leapt out. Lucy held onto him tightly out of reflex, but he landed gently on the rooftop of a building. She relaxed and tried to get down.  
“Hey, Alastor. We just need to go down the stairs. Cut. This. Out.”  
“You want to go the faster way? How brave!”  
“Alastor!”  
Alastor carefully jumped down, landing on a light fixture then a fire escape and finally the ground.  
“Why couldn’t we just use the stairs?!”  
“How else would I get to see you make that face?”  
“You’re such an ass! You know that?!”  
“Did I hear ‘One more time’?”  
“NO! And to think I rescued you from Angel…,” she mumbled and pushed Alastor away. She fell onto the ground and took a second to recover. “Hey, wait. Where are they?”  
“Sir Pentius’ instructions said that if Angel tried to free you or attack him, then you would get hurt. So Angel stayed at the hotel. I believe Sir Pentius was trying to take over the area, so he could attack Cherri again.”  
“And you decided to attack anyway. Nice.”  
“Are you hurt? I wasn’t going to allow any harm to come to you, and besides… you could have escaped on your own.”  
“I would have…,” Lucy paused. “I suppose I should let them know that I’m okay… and say goodbye.”  
“Goodbye?”  
“I doubt that they’ll want me to stay. I did lie to them. Plus I bet Angel will throw a fit, and he won’t listen to me anymore. Not much point in me being a mentor to someone who won’t listen to me.”  
“Oh, you won’t have to worry about that.”  
“Because they’ll forgive me? Or because you’ll bully them into accepting me back?”  
Alastor’s appearance changed as he towered over her. His voice became more mechanical as he asked, “And what will you do if it’s the latter?”  
Lucy stood her ground and stared into his eyes. “I’ll stop you.”  
Alastor stared at her for a moment before he chuckled and returned to normal.  
“See? Not so scared of me.”  
“Just because I’m scared doesn’t mean I won’t fight back. And it certainly doesn’t mean I can’t win.”  
Alastor’s smile grew wider, and he replied, “Very well then.”  
Lucy walked ahead of him, leading the way to the hotel. As they neared the building, a furry shadow leapt out and tackled Lucy to the unforgiving ground. Angel had all four arms wrapped tightly around her in a desperate hug.  
“It’s not like I was that worried! I just— BOOBS! When did you get boobs?” Angel asked and pushed her back to take a look at her. “You’re not Barry.”  
“She is actually,” Alastor interjected. “Lucy is Barry’s true form as strange as it seems.”  
“What?! I was crushing on a girl this whole time?!” Angel said looking horrified.   
“Don’t worry, Angel,” Lucy said sweetly. “I felt the same then as you do now!”  
“Rude! Wait, no! You don’t get to just skate by with that! Explain!”  
Alastor cleared his throat and helped Lucy up. “Let’s go inside. The entire neighborhood doesn’t need an explanation, do they?”  
Angel pouted, and Lucy offered him a hand. He took it and dragged her into the hotel. Vaggie and Charlie emerged to see what was going on only to get pushed out of the way as Angel dragged Lucy into the dining room. Lucy stood awkwardly as she waited for the others to come inside the room.  
“What do you want to know?” Lucy asked and crossed her arms in front of her chest.  
“Why were you pretending to be a boy for one?!” Angel asked irritably.  
“I was trying to avoid a certain unsavory character,” Lucy explained, eyeing Alastor warily. “And blend in.”  
Charlie ran forward and hugged Lucy. After a slight moment of hesitation, Lucy returned the hug.   
“I’m just glad you’re safe,” Charlie whispered, and Lucy smiled wistfully.  
“Yeah. Me too.”


	5. Chapter 5

“So you told them everything?” Anti asked, leaning on the side of the building.  
“Well, not everything,” Lucy replied somewhat sheepishly. “A broad overview. You find anything that looks like it needs our attention? Because if our way out of here is getting Angel into Heaven… then we’re going to be here a while.”   
Anti sighed and answered, “No… unfortunately not. And Alastor’s a wily guy. I haven’t been able to find any new information about him. Just be careful around him, okay?”  
“Sure thing,” Lucy said and smiled as she heard Alastor’s panicked yelling.  
“You have something to do with that?”  
“Probably. All I did was tell Angel that I’ve never seen a burlesque show. Sounds like Alastor’s getting a sneak peek. Ah, sweet vengeance.”  
Anti laughed before he caught himself and said sternly, “That doesn’t sound very careful.”  
“Well, you know how much I love to test boundaries.”  
“FOR THE LOVE OF— LUCY!” Alastor’s voice could be heard through one of the open windows nearby.  
“That’s my cue. You be careful too, Anti,” Lucy said and gave him a hug.  
Anti returned the hug and disappeared after giving her a wicked grin. Lucy looked up at the hotel for a moment before she decided to go back inside.  
“Hey, you!” a voice called out, and Lucy turned to see a dog demon staring at her irritably. “You work here?”  
“In a manner of speaking, yes… how may I help you? Are you interested in becoming a guest?”  
The dog demon shuffled nervously and said angrily, “No! Why would I be interested in this lame place?! I just wanted to see what kind of losers work here, that’s all! And you look the part.”  
“Just let me know when you decide to make a reservation. I’m sure Husk will be thrilled to welcome you at the front desk.”  
The dog demon stomped off angrily, and Lucy walked in the door. Husk sat at the front door with a haggard look on his face. His cat ears went back for a moment before he said, “Why are you trying to make me do my job? Stop welcoming people.”  
“If we don’t have people here, then who are we going to order booze for?” Lucy shot back, and Husk replied with a low energy shrug. The hungover bartender pretended to look at a newspaper to ignore all future attempts at conversation.  
“LUCY!” Alastor shouted and appeared in the doorway. “Control your pupil! He’s NAKED again!”  
“Oh, come on! It’s a tease, Al,” Angel said, entering the room with a newspaper covering his privates. “I’m not even showing anything. How do I look, Lucy? You wanna see some moves?”  
Angel danced around using the newspaper to obscure his naughty bits. Alastor quickly moved behind Lucy, using her as a shield. After Angel finished his dance, he posed with a sultry look, and Lucy hid her face in her hands.  
“What?”  
Lucy started shaking before the laughter suddenly escaped. She wiped tears from her eyes and looked at Angel and Alastor’s shocked expressions.   
“Sorry, Angel. I just didn’t expect you to get so into it.”  
“Of course, I did, babe. I’m a true showman.”   
“That you are,” Lucy agreed heartily. “Now get some clothes on.”  
Angel stuck out his tongue but willingly danced to the staircase.   
“Could one of you tell Charlie that I’m going out?”  
“Where are you going?” Alaster asked as Husk pretended to be asleep.  
“Well, someone came by earlier. As soon as I spoke to her, she pretended to not be interested, but I’ve seen her hanging around the area before.”  
“Someone’s interested?!” Charlie shouted excitedly.   
“No. Not yet. I was thinking more about surveillance. It might be someone she knows who’s interested,” Lucy said quickly. “That means I’ll need to be quiet and subtle… so you and Angel in particular should stay here.”  
“I can be quiet!” Charlie said in an excited whisper. “I can be so quiet!”  
“It’s not just being quiet. You’re the princess and easily recognized. You were even on the news to promote the hotel.”  
Charlie deflated, and Lucy continued, “But you could make sure a room is ready. Plus someone needs to supervise Angel.”  
Charlie gave her a half-hearted smile and asked, “So is Alastor going with you?”  
“Absolutely not,” Lucy said, but at the same time Alastor said, “Absolutely!”  
Lucy narrowed her eyes and asked, “How exactly do you think you’re subtle?”  
“Just because you can’t take your eyes off of me doesn’t mean that I can’t go about unnoticed,” Alastor said with a smirk.  
“You don’t even know what she looks like.”  
“Which is why we’ll be working together.”  
“And what if you’re not as stealthy as you think you are? What if she sees the ‘Radio Demon’ following her? You don’t think that’s going to scare her off?”  
Charlie and Husk watched as Lucy and Alastor stared each other down. Alastor looked mildly annoyed. His smile had become more masklike when suddenly it appeared as though he had an idea.   
“But she’s already seen you, correct? Perhaps we just need disguises. I have a friend who can help us with that.”  
“Oh, so I can come?!” Charlie said excitably.  
Alastor smiled and patted her on the head. “Sorry, my dear, but we may need you as back-up in case our plan fails. Come along, Lucy.”  
Lucy gave him a suspicious glance but followed him out the door. He could easily be leading her into a trap. She decided to just keep her guard up, but she wished that she’d brought Charlie along with them. After a while of walking, they reached a pristine looking house. A well-kept yard with beautiful flowers highly contrasted with the scenery around it, giving the place a surreal feel. Lucy watched her step and followed Alastor closely.  
Before Alastor could even knock on the door, it opened to reveal a woman in a beautiful hat and gown. Lucy was at first relieved, but then the woman gave her a sharp smile. Lucy really should have expected something like this. Of course, Alastor’s friend would be a female version of himself.  
“Oh my, what brings you here, Alastor? And you brought a… friend?”  
“Yes, indeed. I do need a favor from you. Rosie, this is Lucy. Lucy, meet Rosie.”  
“Charmed,” Lucy said warily from a distance.  
Rosie giggled and said teasingly, “Not a very trusting one, is she?”   
“Oh, that isn’t the half of it,” Alastor said sharing a laugh.  
“He said that you could disguise us,” Lucy said irritably. “If you can’t, that’s fine, but then I need to go.”  
Rosie’s grin became wider as Lucy stared into her black eyes. “A brave one as well as a straight-shooter. Interesting. You truly did find an entertaining one.”  
Lucy kept her distance and glared at them when they exchanged a knowing look. Rosie gestured for them to follow her, and Alastor waited by the door.  
“After you, my dear!”  
“Oh no. I insist. After you.”  
Alastor chuckled and walked into the house. Lucy quickly followed him inside. She kept them in her sight as she closed the door behind her and took in her surroundings. It appeared to be a sewing studio of some kind. Lucy kept her distance as she followed them into what she assumed would be the ‘parlor’ room. Alastor told Rosie about their plans as Lucy stayed at the back of the room.  
“Would you like some refreshments? Angie makes the best lemonade,” Rosie said giving Lucy a side look.  
“No, thank you. What would you like as payment? You’re not just going to help us for free.”  
Rosie gave her an approving look and said, “Ordinarily, yes. But Alastor is one of my good friends, so I’m willing to work with you on a price… Perhaps a song or a dance would suffice.”  
“Uh, I’m not really a singer… and dancing… that’s not really my area of expertise either.”  
“What can you do?”  
Lucy had noticed the grand piano in the corner of the room when she’d walked in, and her eye was drawn to it now.  
“Oh, really?” Rosie asked excitedly. “You play piano? Well, that’s perfect. There’s been a musical piece I’ve been working on. Alastor, would you mind singing with me?”  
“Of course not.”  
Lucy walked over to the piano. The fallboard was already open, and Lucy glanced at the music sheet before setting it up for easy viewing. Rosie already had another one out and showed it to Alastor. Taking a deep breath, Lucy started playing the piece. She stumbled a little at first but soon found her bearings. Rosie and Alastor danced around and sang while she played the piano, and she found herself a little disappointed when it ended.  
“That was wonderful. Bit of a rough start but you really pulled through,” Alastor said cheerily.   
“Thank you. Now… about the disguises,” Lucy said and got up from the piano. “I really don’t think you can make him blend in.”  
Lucy pointed at Alastor, and Rosie giggled at Alastor irritated look.  
“It would be a challenge… but first things first, what group are you trying to blend into?”  
“Uh… well, if I had to describe it… maybe punk. Like a…”  
“Oh, one of those rowdy delinquents that loiter inside the diner. Well, I doubt you’d blend in with them. You have some semblance of manners.”  
“Well, not really blend in. More like spy on? One of them has been hanging out by the hotel lately. I want to make sure that they aren’t planning anything… and if they want to join, they should know that they’re welcomed. I doubt that Charlie would discriminate.”  
Lucy glanced at Alastor before looking away, and Rosie giggled again.  
“Leave everything to me. I have a plan,” Rosie said with glee and disappeared into the back.


	6. Chapter 6

“I don’t think the heels are necessary,” Lucy muttered as she clumsily walked out of the dressing room.  
“Of course, they are,” Rosie said. “When your boyfriend is as tall as he is, you want to be as close as you can be. Alastor, come take a look at your darling. I’ve truly outdone myself this time.”  
Alastor came into the room in a simple shirt and pants. A hat adorned his head and hid his antlers. He nodded in agreement and held out his hand.  
“Shall we go, my lady?” Alastor said, but his voice no longer sounded as though it was coming from a speaker.   
Lucy reluctantly held his hand and used him to steady herself. “It’s going to be… abundantly obvious that I’m not used to these!” Lucy said irritably.  
“Hold onto me. I won’t allow you to fall,” Alastor said, earning himself a scowl from Lucy.  
“Oh, you two look so darling,” Rosie crooned. “Lucy… stop glaring at him like that. Would you glare at the one you love that way?”  
“If they did or said something stupid, yeah.”  
Rosie sighed while Alastor chuckled. She looked over Lucy and said, “I do wish you would let me style your wig. It’s pretty enough… but it could look much better.”  
Lucy tucked the golden hair behind her ear and said, “But it obscures my face a little, which is good since she’s seen me before.”  
“But you have such a pretty face. It’s a shame to hide it,” Rosie said dejectedly.  
“Let’s go, Alastor. The sooner we get there the less chance that they’ll see me wobble in,” Lucy said hiding her blush.  
“Of course, but I could always carry you part of the way,” Alastor said with a gleaming smile.  
“I’d rather die… Thank you, Rosie. I’ll get the dress back to you as soon as I can.”  
“No problem, dear. The dress is yours now, but I wouldn’t mind hearing another piano piece at some other time if you would be so kind.”  
“Of course,” Lucy said and focused on maintaining her balance as Alastor led her out of the door.  
The diner wasn’t that far, but Lucy could feel her muscles cramping as they were seated at a table in the back. Lucy scanned the diner for the girl as Alastor ordered a couple glasses of water. No luck. But she still held out hope. Alastor was watching her with a smile as usual.  
“I have a question for you, but I’m not sure if you’d be offended.”  
“When has that ever stopped you?”  
“That’s fair… why are you always smiling? Do you want people to think you can’t be bothered, or do you just view people showing emotions as weakness?”  
Alastor seemed to regard her with fascination and answered, “Quite astute, aren’t you? I’d say it’s a bit of both. If you can’t control yourself, then should you be responsible for controlling anyone else?”  
“No… but I don’t think you can really ever control anyone, even yourself.”  
“You keep Angel under control.”  
“I give him choices and trust that he’ll make the one that I want… if provided with incentive. That’s not control. But all in all… you must think I’m a pushover. Frowning is my forte. But I hid my emotions for a long time… Shoved my feelings under a rug and tried to pretend that they didn’t matter. I know better now, and I disagree with you on that. I do think that you should control yourself to a point, but… I’m strong enough to overcome my emotions even if I get lost in them.”  
“And allowing others to see how you’re feeling… how is that not weakness?”  
Lucy smirked at him with confidence and replied, “Because I’m strong enough to overcome them. I’m strong enough to let people see me hurting and still carry on. Because that’s all you can do sometimes. Just carry on.”  
“Is that something ‘Missy’ taught you?”  
Lucy laughed and said, “Yeah, to a point at least. She’s one of the most emotional people I’ve ever met.”  
“That must be tiresome.”  
“Yeah, sometimes. But it’s also energizing,” Lucy said softly and looked at the glass. “It was because of her that I was able to move forward. Become the person I am right now.”  
“Hm. Isn’t it in poor taste to discuss previous relationships on a date?”  
Lucy chuckled and answered, “Yes, but she’s not a ‘previous relationship.’ She’s the person I think about when I go to bed each night and the first thought I wake up to.”  
“So she’s your girlfriend?”  
“Not really… to be honest I’m not even the person she loves most.”  
“That doesn’t sound fair. Why would you resign yourself to that kind of heartache?”  
“Because the happiest place for me is by her side, and that’s selfishness on my part, not hers. What place I’m in, that’s irrelevant. Besides… even if she leaves me for him, I have a backup plan. I may be lovestruck, but I’m not a fool.”  
Alastor tilted his head in confusion and asked, “So what you’re saying is… that you’ve been going through all of this trouble, finding world after world, all for someone that may just leave you for someone else.”  
“I said she’s my main focus. Not my only one. I have friends… ones that I let down. I’d like to make it up to them. Plus, I could always finish my engineering degree. It’d be pretty easy for me. Once you’ve worked on advanced alien technology, everything else is just standard.”  
A loud group walked into the pub, and Lucy peeked at the newcomers. The girl was with them. Unlike the rest of the group she was quiet, almost somber.   
“Don’t look at them too much,” Alastor said quietly. “They’ll notice.”  
Lucy turned back to Alastor to see that he had closed his eyes. Realizing that he was trying to listen in on the conversation, Lucy looked out the window and used the reflection to keep an eye on them. After a while, the girl said goodbye and left the group. Lucy pulled out her wallet, but Alastor gave the woman money with a smile before taking Lucy’s arm and leading her out of the diner.   
They used the darkness to hide. The girl looked around warily, but she didn’t seem to see them. They followed slowly, making sure she was never too close or too far. She led them to the outskirts of the town. A dilapidated church sat on the edge. The girl quickly ran inside and closed the door behind her. Had she spotted them?  
“Oh,” Alastor mumbled. “I know of this place.”  
“A church in Hell would stand out.”  
“It’s what happened here that concerns me… You’ve heard about our overpopulation problem. Well, Charlie isn’t the first to try to save sinners. This was built by a group a few years back… they were trying to live devoutly to gain God’s favor. Which made them easy targets when it came time to cut down our numbers. No survivors… or so the story goes.”  
Lucy took off her shoes and stepped carefully around the glass. Opening the door slowly, she slipped inside. The girl was crying at the pulpit. Candle lit the room around her, and Lucy could see a photograph inside a ring of flowers. The girl looked up, her fur standing on edge as she growled, “Stay back. I have a knife.”  
Lucy took off the wig, and the girl calmed down a little.  
“Oh, it’s you. Did you come here to tell me to come to the hotel? It won’t end any different, you know… they were just trying to help each other… to help me. They hid me… they could have run. How lame.”  
The girl tried to sound tough, but Lucy could hear her voice breaking. Lucy walked up and sat beside her on the ground.  
“We’d be happy to have you at the hotel. I can’t tell you whether or not this would happen to the hotel. It’s a dangerous world out there. With evil people. But I can tell you one thing: these people didn’t deserve what happened here. And I know the people in the hotel will fight to keep each other safe, and sometimes… that’s all we have. Life doesn’t give out guarantees. No promises of a tomorrow. But you don’t have to go through it alone. Now I’m going to sit here until you tell me to leave, but I’ll be back. Tomorrow… and the next day… and the day after that… because you’ve been fighting on your own for a long time, haven’t you? You’ve been doing all you can just to get by. I want to help you do more than that. You don’t have to want to go to Heaven to come to the hotel tonight… you just need to want to get better. That’s all I ask.”  
“You’re so lame… but maybe I’m a little lame too,” the girl mumbled before burying her head in Lucy’s shoulder. Sobs shook the girl, and Lucy lightly held onto her as the candles slowly burned out one by one.


	7. Chapter 7

As Lucy heard her name being screamed in the distance, she picked up her pace. Angel on his own was a bit of a pain. The addition of Crymini to the hotel had caused an immense increase in neediness from Angel, and now the two of them were working on driving Lucy completely insane. She was now reduced to sneaking away from the hotel with her lunch just to get a break. As she got to the park, she sat on a bench and enjoyed the silence.  
“What do we have here?” Alastor said from behind her.  
“Alastor… what do you want?” Lucy said as she opened her eyes.   
“Relax, darling. I didn’t tell your followers about your hiding spot… Do you see that spot over there? A tree was there a little while back… then it just disappeared into thin air one day. Interesting, isn’t it?”  
“Beautiful story,” Lucy said irritably and started to unwrap her sandwich. “Does it have a point? Or can I eat my lunch?”  
“Just my musings… But it does make one wonder.”  
“It was my ship. Happy?”  
Alastor’s smile widened, and he replied, “Yes. I was wondering when you were going to show it to us.”  
Lucy sighed and said, “Probably never. Why do you want to see it so badly anyway?”  
“Just curious. Why are you trying so hard to hide it from me?”  
“It’s essentially my home away from home. I don’t see you clamoring to show me yours. It’s personal… Plus there’s someone living in it right now. And I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t want you on board.”  
“Someone living in it? You wouldn’t happen to be talking about a green haired menace who likes to ask too many questions.”  
Lucy dropped her sandwich and stood up quickly. Alastor sat on the bench smiling serenely. Anti hadn’t checked in with her today, but she’d assumed that he just hadn’t found a time where she was alone.  
“Crymini saw you hugging your boyfriend outside the hotel. Did you talk Angel into distracting me just so you two could get some time alone?”  
“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my friend. And the burlesque thing was mostly just petty vengeance. He was just trying to get information to help us get out of here.”  
“Is he a friend of your Missy as well?”   
“No, I met him after… did you do something to him?”  
Alastor tilted his head to the side and stood up. Lucy panicked and took a step back. Her foot got caught around a tree root, and she fell to the ground. Wincing in pain, she looked up to see Alastor bending down. She grabbed his shirt and asked, “Did you do something to him?”  
Alastor stared at her for a moment and said, “No. Not yet. But do tell him to mind his own business. Your ankle is probably strained.”  
Lucy let go of his shirt and stood up on her own. She said, “I’ll tell him. He won’t look into your business anymore… In fact, I’m starting to doubt that we’ll even find it here.”  
She felt herself being lifted off the ground and clung to Alastor.  
“Hey!”  
“No surprises. Relax. Just carrying you to the hotel. You won’t be going anywhere… on that ankle. Not unless you want to injure it further.”   
Alastor soon reached the hotel, and Angel came running out of the hotel much to Alastor’s irritation.   
“Lucy! What happened? Did Al hurt you?”  
“No, I just fell and twisted my ankle. I’ll be fine.”  
Alastor spoke up in a chilling tone, “If you’d like to make yourself useful, bring her some ice.”  
Angel surprisingly rushed toward the kitchen, and Alastor started to carry her up the stairs to her hotel room. Lucy tensed up for a second.   
“That’s okay. Thanks. You’ve carried me far enough. You can put me down. Thank you.”   
Alastor carefully set her down. Lucy winced as her foot touched the ground, and she quickly took out her key and unlocked the door. She started to stumble her way inside when Alastor picked her up again and carefully placed her on the bed.  
“Thanks.”   
“No problem, my dear… Perhaps our first meeting could have gone smoother, but we’ve gotten along pretty well, have we not?”  
“Oh, uh… yeah,” Lucy said quietly, but she didn’t look him in the eye. All of his “good” behavior could be an act. Why was he so interested in her ship anyway? Was this all a ploy for a bigger plan?  
“Lucy…” Alastor started, clearly reading her thoughts.  
“LUCY!” Angel and Crymini burst into the room. Angel carried ice and his pet pig, and Crymini carried extra pillows. Charlie and Vaggie followed closely behind.  
“Geez, guys. It’s not that bad of an emergency… I think I’ll survive,” Lucy informed them with a smile.  
“Exactly what I said,” Vaggie mumbled.   
“Here. Fat Nuggets always makes me feel better,” Angel said and handed Lucy the pig.  
“She doesn’t need a stupid pig!” Crymini snapped at Angel.   
“Little girl…” Angel growled in return.   
Lucy clapped her hands causing them to flinch and said, “Now, children… I just need some rest and a little quiet. Thank you both for worrying about me, but I’ll be just fine. And Angel… Fat Nugget is infinitely precious but not what I need right now. And I can’t take care of him in my condition anyway.”  
Angel jumped onto the bed beside her and said cheerily, “That’s why I’ll be staying with you!”  
“The hell you will, you old pervert!!” Crymini growled.   
“OLD?! First of all, you little shi—!”   
“Angel! Crymini! That’s enough!” Vaggie interjected. “Let Lucy get some peace and quiet.”  
Both of them looked annoyed, but they seemed to agree. Angel grabbed Fat Nuggets, and Crymini gave Lucy a hug before they reluctantly left.   
“I’ll bring you some books later,” Charlie said before she left the room with Vaggie.   
Alastor was the last to leave and said quietly, “Get some rest. I’ll see you soon.”  
After Alastor shut the door, Lucy listened as their footstep got further down the corridor before she relaxed. David came out of the ship and sat on the bed next to her.  
“It’s just a twisted ankle, David. I’ll live. Have you heard from Anti?”  
David shook his head and said, “No, but I’ll keep a lookout. Is there something he needs to know?”  
“Tell him to stop researching Alastor. It’s only going to draw unwanted attention our way.”  
“We could go elsewhere… at least until your injury heals.”  
“I should be fine, but if you want to move the ship…”  
“It will remain here,” David said firmly, but he gently lifted Lucy’s foot to prop up with a pillow. “I’ll stay with the ship. Just in case we need to leave quickly. But please just do me one favor.”  
“Yes?”  
“Don’t go too far from the hotel. It’s perilous out there. And don’t go anywhere alone with Alastor. He may not be our enemy, but he’s still dangerous.”  
“Yeah. Those are good ideas. Sounds good to me.”  
A knock on the door made Lucy jump, and she motioned for David to get back on the ship. David quickly got back inside and closed the door softly.  
“Yes?”  
Alastor came into the room holding a plate with a sandwich sitting innocently on it. He placed it on the night stand by her bed.   
“Thanks.”  
“You’re welcome… I do truly want to be your friend, but to do that I’m going to need you to trust me.”   
“So you trust me?”  
“Of course,” Alaster replied, and his smile widened. After Lucy gave him an unbelieving look, he continued, “Would I take you to see one of my dearest friends if I didn’t?”  
“I’m pretty sure Rosie can take care of herself.”  
Alastor laughed and said, “Well, you’d be correct about that… But I wouldn’t take just anyone to see her.”  
“Why do you want to see my ship so much?”   
“Who wouldn’t want to see the inside of an alien flying machine?! It’s terribly exciting! But I do understand your trepidation. It’s your home, and you still don’t trust me. All I’m asking is for you to give me a chance to prove myself. You’ve been alone with me several times now; have I ever tried to hurt you or even take advantage of you?”  
“No,” Lucy mumbled but thought to herself, “Not that I know of.”  
“And yet you have lied to me… your friend has spied on me. If anything, I should be wary of you.”  
“Why do you trust me then?”  
“Well for one, you’re a bad liar,” Alastor said with a smirk. “Your friend on the other hand…”  
“He won’t be following you anymore.”  
“Because you’ve realized that you have nothing to fear from me or because you’re afraid of what might happen to him?”   
Lucy looked away before she said, “It’s not like we found anything anyway. Plus I would rather have him looking into something that could get us to the next place.”  
“Always in such a hurry. Is this place not good enough for you?”  
“Well, it is Hell. But… this isn’t my first world. Probably closer to the hundredth. It’s not home, Alastor.”  
“Hm… well, I’ll leave you to your lunch and to get some rest.”  
Lucy nodded as Alastor walked to the door. As he closed the door behind him, Lucy eyed the sandwich suspiciously before deciding to take a bite.


	8. Chapter 8

The cards Lucy had been dealt weren’t winners. She stared at Husk warily. Unfortunately, his near-constant state of inebriation made him hard to read as he stared serenely back at her. With a sigh she folded, and he gave a hoot of laughter before gathering Lucy’s money. She leaned back in the chair to relax.  
“Oh, here you are,” a demon with one eye and bright pink attire said disapprovingly from the door way. “Don’t you have jobs to do?”   
“Ha ha, Niffty,” Husk replied and eyed his empty bottle.  
The stern look disappeared, and Niffty giggled. She glanced at Lucy’s ankle and asked, “Do you need anything, dearie? I’m on my way to the kitchen.”  
Lucy smiled and replied, “No thank you. I should probably limp my way to the ball room to check on them in a bit.”  
“What are they doing?” Husk asked as he opened another bottle.  
“Charlie has decided that she needs to bond with Crymini… which I approve of immensely. They’re doing some kind of dance exercise.”  
“Which would explain why the invalid is here with me,” Husk said and took a sip.  
“It’s not like I had many other options,” Lucy fired back, and Husk let out a bark of laughter.  
“Alastor was asking about you. Should I send him here or the ballroom?”  
“Ah… uh. The ball room, if you would,” Lucy said and used her cane to stand. Her ankle was already feeling better, but she didn’t want to test it quite yet. Plus it gave her a convenient excuse to hide in her room. A definite plus.  
“I’ll go with you,” Husk said with a burp after draining the rest of the glass. “I should probably check on the reception desk. At least give the impression that I’m doing something.”  
He gave Lucy a wink, and she rolled her eyes. Niffty bounced off to find Alastor as Husk and Lucy walked toward the ballroom.   
“It’ll be weird when you leave,” Husk said with a uncomfortable shrug. “Not that I care… but at least you’re interesting.”  
“I’m sure your future guests will be even more interesting.”  
Husk sighed and said, “That’s a scary thought… You’ve been distant lately. Is it because of your ankle or because… you’re preparing to leave? Once again, don’t care… but it’d be good to know when you suddenly disappear.”   
“It’s not like I know when we’ll be able to leave… but I’ll give you a heads up if possible.”  
Husk shrugged but seemed more relaxed as the rounded the corner. Alastor stared into the ballroom with a mix of confusion and interest.  
“Everything going well, or did Angel strip off his clothes again?” Lucy asked as she limped toward the double doors.  
“You gonna have to pay me to see that again, sweetheart!” Angel shouted from inside, causing Lucy to chuckle.  
Angel, Charlie, and Crymini were inside doing something similar to the Zoombah classes that Lucy had seen. Charlie danced with joyful enthusiasm. Angel seemed more interested in doing the moves sexily than doing them correctly. Crymini seemed to be confused, begrudging, and embarrassed. In the corner of the room, Vaggie sat at one of the tables and sipped her tea, casually ignoring the chaos.  
“Doing great, guys,” Lucy cheered them on as Husk left her side to quickly walk to the front desk. “I’m going to be in my room if you need me.”   
“Is that an invitation?” Angel asked jokingly before landing on a sultry pose.   
“No.”  
“Well, actually I have something to ask of you if you would be so kind,” Alastor spoke up, and Lucy looked at him curiously. “Rosie was wondering if you could stop by. Her piano player seems to have been in… an unfortunate accident, and she was wondering if you would mind helping… when your ankle is better, of course.”  
“Just what happened to her previous piano player? I feel like you tried to gloss over that really quickly.”  
“Oh, nothing she did, I assure you.”  
Lucy stared at his smiling face with suspicion for a moment before she said, “Okay. Sounds good. I don’t really like making any concrete plans at the moment though.”  
“Understood. I’ll be sure to let her know.”  
“You could have her come here!” Charlie shouted excitably. “We have a piano! That way, Lucy wouldn’t have to walk very far.”  
“That would be acceptable,” Alastor replied and looked to Lucy for a response.  
“Yeah, sounds good to me,” Lucy said and turned as she heard Husk call her name.  
Husk looked uncertain and told Lucy, “There’s a guy at the front who says he knows you… he looks pretty hurt.”  
Lucy limped her way to the front entrance of the hotel. Pain radiated from her ankle, but she ignored it for the moment. Anti sat slumped over in one of the chairs in the waiting area. His bright green hair had faded to a dark brown, and he clutched a strange knife tightly.  
“Anti?! What happened?” Lucy said more quietly as she leaned in. Anti held out the knife for her to take.  
“It’s made from some weird metal… It can hurt even someone as amazing as me! I wrestled it out of one of their hands. Didn’t make it out unscathed, but… a few of them died. Don’t worry. I lost them long before… I came here.” Anti winced in pain as he tried to stand.  
“I’m more worried about you… idiot,” Lucy said as she forced him to sit and took a look at where he had been stabbed. It wasn’t too bad. She assumed his pain was more from getting hit than stabbed. “Hold onto me. We can wobble our way to the elevator. Luckily for us, it was just fixed… now hopefully it won’t break with us inside.”  
Anti laughed and said, “We’re a pitiful team right now, aren’t we?”  
“Yeah… but we’ll pull through. We always do. Now come on; let’s get you in a bed.”  
Anti nodded and held onto Lucy as he tried to stand. A hand on her shoulder made her jump. Alastor stood beside her and locked eyes with Anti. There was a moment of silence as the two regarded each other with suspicion before Alastor offered him a hand. Lucy led the way as Alastor almost carried Anti to the elevator then the room. Lucy noticed the trail of people appearing at her door as she fumbled with the key. No doubt she’d be forced to do some explaining.  
After opening the door for Alastor and Anti, Lucy followed them inside. She helped Anti lay on the bed and bandaged his wound. His breathing became less labored. She allowed herself a sigh of relief before she limped to the desk and pulled a chair to the side of the bed.   
“What were you doing, Anti? I told you Alastor isn’t a threat.”  
Anti let out a bark of laughter and said, “Don’t know if I believe that, but… I left him alone after you told me to. You are the boss after all. No… it was some kind of initiation… for a gang probably. Unlucky for both of us. I wasn’t expecting a sneak attack, and they weren’t expecting me to be as strong as I am.”  
“We’ll figure it out when you’re better,” Lucy reassured him and brushed his hair out of his face. “Get some sleep, okay?”  
Anti nodded sleepily, and Lucy led the others out of the room. She quietly closed the door and looked at the worried faces before her.   
“He’s stronger than he looks. He’s too stubborn to die that easily…”  
Charlie spoke up quickly, “We can get him another room… or you another room. We have plenty.”  
“No, he’s okay in my room… for now at least. I’d prefer to keep an eye on him. I’ve never seen him get hurt before, and I’d rather be close by if he needs something. But thank you.”  
“May I see the weapon?” Alastor asked and looked to the weapon Lucy was clutching in her hand.  
Lucy reluctantly handed it over. Alastor held it to the light and examined it with cusiosity.  
“As I suspected… pieces of an old angelic weapon reformed into a knife. Crude but effective if you intend to kill. We found shards of a similar weapon near Rosie’s former piano boy… I’ll be sure to tell her. In fact, it may be wise for her to stay her until we find out if we’re being targeted.”  
“Oh, of course! I’ll go get Niffty, and we’ll get some rooms ready,” Charlie said and ran off to find Niffty. Vaggie soon followed.   
“So who’s the stud?” Angel asked.   
“He’s my friend… he’s been trying to find a way to get us to the next world… I shouldn’t have let him run off on his own,” Lucy said and clutched her walking stick.  
“Hey, now! That’s not your fault,” Angel said and looked awkward. “Just… let us know if you need anything. We’re your friends too, y’know.”  
“Yeah, thanks, guys.”  
Angel and Crymini nodded and ran off to find Charlie. Alastor excused himself to talk to Rosie. After taking a deep breath, Lucy opened the door and closed it behind her.


	9. Chapter 9

Rain fell from a blood red sky while Lucy sat down by a window and contemplated just how that was possible. Nothing here made sense… So why wouldn't it rain from a cloudless sky in the middle of Hell? She sighed and leaned back into the chair. Her ankle had healed, but it didn’t really help her considering Anti was still resting. David had talked Lucy out of hunting down the bastards who hurt him… for now.  
“Such a sorrowful look doesn’t befit such a cute young lady,” a voice said, and Lucy turned to see Rosie enter the room. “Is there something wrong?”  
“Are angelic blades that dangerous? Anti didn’t get more than a deep scratch… and he’s still not back to normal.”  
“Oh dear… I did hear about your friend. Yes, they are extremely dangerous to us as angelic weapons are the only thing that can kill us. Just take it easy for a few more days.”  
Lucy held back another sigh and stared back out of the window.  
“Vengeance is a dark road child,” Rosie said, startling Lucy out of her daydreams. “It only leads to more violence.”  
Lucy glanced at her and responded, “Somehow I doubt that Alastor would follow that advice.”  
“No, but he quite enjoys bloodshed. Do you?”  
Lucy went silent. Quite frankly she wasn’t sure about the answer to that question. She felt that people should be punished for hurting someone, but did she really have the moral high ground? She tried to do as little damage as she could. However, sometimes she had to get her hands dirty.  
“Alastor was wondering if you’d like to play the piano for us. You’ve been playing nurse to your friend for the past few days. It might do you some good to relax.”  
Lucy stared at Rosie’s unchanging smile for a moment before she stood and answered, “Might as well.”  
Rosie led the way to the ballroom while Lucy trailed behind. Charlie’s face lit up as Lucy entered the room, and she raced over.  
“How’s he doing? Your friend,” Charlie said with a worried smile.  
Lucy pat her head gently and replied, “He’s doing better. Just tired now. Thanks.”  
Charlie beamed at her with a smile, but Lucy’s contentment was cut short by Angel and Crymini crashing into her at full speed. Lucy looked toward the back to see the others sitting there. Vaggie looked somewhat miffed, so Lucy gave her an apologetic smile. Alastor got up from his seat and walked toward her.  
“Is your friend feeling any better?” Alastor asked with that wide grin.  
“Yeah, he’s just tired right now… So… uh, the piano’s all set up… Any requests?”  
Crymini and Angel started suggesting different songs in unison then arguing about which ones were better until Vaggie gave them a cold look.  
“What about a song from your world?” Rosie asked, causing Angel and Crymini to redirect their attention. “One we haven’t heard before. That would be fun, wouldn’t it, Alastor?”  
“Oh, yes! Great fun! How about it, Lucy?”  
Lucy sat at the piano, and her fingers hovered over the keys. After a moment of thought, she started to play “River Flows in You” by Yiruma. It was a piece her mother had loved. While it was simple enough for Lucy to remember, it was also a beautiful, gentle piece. As she finished, she looked up to see Crymini and Angel looking enthralled. Crymini tried to hide it with a scowl, but Angel sat next to Lucy. Tentatively, he pressed one of the keys. Lucy let out a laugh before she slowly played the first verse of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” then stopped. Angel hesitantly copied her hand movements. Surprisingly, he didn’t make a single mistake, and Lucy smiled at him when he finished.  
“I could be a famous musician!” Angel said excitedly, earning a chuckle from Alastor and a scowl from Crymini.  
“You’d be really good at piano four hands,” Lucy said with a smirk, and Angel look at her with confusion. “That’s when two people play on the piano at once, but you don’t really need a second person.”  
“I could be the greatest musician who ever LIVED!” Angel screeched, and Vaggie sighed.  
“Who did you play with?” Rosie asked, calmly ignoring Angel.  
“My brother… we learned together. He got better at singing, and I got better at playing the piano. But he’d still play with me, and I’d sing with him… Although I have been playing recently with a friend from another world.”  
“Ah, from a world from before you came here. A shame you had to leave such a friend behind,” Rosie said sympathetically.  
“Yeah,” Lucy muttered and glanced at her watch. “I’m going to go check on Anti… I’ll be down in a bit.”  
Lucy quickly ducked out of the room as Crymini and Angel fought over the piano. Technically she didn’t lie. She just didn’t tell the whole truth. Her piano-playing friend was in another world, but it wasn’t one she couldn’t return to. The watch would allow her to choose two places where she could return. If she set the marker here, then she could pop into Lucifer’s world and return after she got what she needed. She had resolved herself not to go back there anymore. Lucifer had given her more than enough already, but he also might know a way to get Anti back into fighting condition. With a newfound sense of hope, she practically skipped to the elevator.  
“You can hardly tell that your ankle was hurt. Be careful or you may hurt it again,” Alastor said, almost causing Lucy to trip in fright.  
“Oh… yeah. Thanks… did you need something?”  
“Just curious. You seemed like you thought of something. A way to help your friend perhaps?”  
“Maybe,” Lucy replied as the door opened. “It’s not foolproof… but maybe.”  
“Ah,” Alastor replied and got onto the elevator with her, much to her discomfort. “A remedy of sorts?”  
“No… uh, maybe. Listen… It just made me remember a friend who might know something.”  
“Really? A secret friend?”  
“Not really a secret. He’s the one who I’ve played piano with,” Lucy said and got out of the elevator, but Alastor followed like a cat with a new toy.  
“Hmm… so you have a way to contact people from other worlds. I am intrigued.”  
“Yeah, but it’s really something I need to do on my own, so I’ll just be…” Lucy said as she opened the door to her hotel room, but Alastor followed her inside.  
Anti bolted up as though ready to fight when he suddenly fell back onto the bed winded. Lucy helped him get settled in.  
“Is your other friend going to be okay with this plan? The one hiding in your ‘closet’?”  
Lucy and Anti both stared at Alastor in shock.  
Alastor’s smile widened as he tapped on the ship’s door, and he said, “You can come out now. Don’t be shy.”  
David hesitantly opened the door before shutting it behind him. He took a protective stance in front of Lucy and Anti. Even Alastor looked impressed.  
“Lucy, I really must insist on you finding these gentlemen separate rooms. There are plenty available.”  
“It’s easier this way,” Lucy explained with a sigh. “That way if an opportunity presents itself we can just leave… Anti, I’m going to see Lucifer. He might know a trick that can help you feel better.”  
“I’m feeling fine,” Anti said, but even he seemed uncertain.  
“Better safe than sorry. And, David, I need you here in case something happens,” Lucy said and gestured to Anti who had collapsed back onto the bed in a reluctant heap.  
“I don’t mind accompanying you,” Alastor said, but there was a pressure behind his words.  
“I like that idea even less than you going alone,” David said and blatantly eyed Alastor with suspicion.  
“Alastor, you… you’re something people would call a ‘red flag.’ You don’t give off the best of impressions… and you have animal ears.”  
“They’re deer ears.”  
“And they’re super obvious.”  
“Well, okay then. If you trust me here… with your friends and your ship,” Alastor countered with an even broader grin.  
With a sigh, Lucy rubbed her forehead. How badly would he stand out at the strip club? She opened her eyes quickly as she got an idea. Walking inside the ship, she retrieved a beanie from the side table and brought it out.  
“Fine. You can come with me, but there are conditions. First, you wear this. Secondly, you do NOT speak about other worlds. Third, no hurting anyone. And fourth… don’t draw any unnecessary attention. David, I know you don’t like this, but I’ve got Lucifer and Maze there. And someone needs to be here for Anti.”  
David looked annoyed but nodded. Lucy quickly set her other waypoint before giving David a hug.  
“I appreciate everything. I’ll be safe.”  
David held for a few more seconds before responding, “Yes… you are very welcome. Come back soon.”  
“As soon as I can,” Lucy promised and stepped over to Alastor. She held onto his arm and asked, “You ready?”  
“Never more so.”  
Lucy pressed the button, and the world shifted out of focus as the watch worked its magic.


	10. Chapter 10

The elevator music cut through the tension as Lucy and Alastor took the elevator down to the first floor. Alastor had toned down his smile to look a little more human, but it was still unnerving. He let out a small chuckle.  
“What?” Lucy asked, now suspicious.   
“Hotels truly are for ‘people passing through’,” Alastor answered and tilted his head in confusion when Lucy smirked.   
“This isn’t a hotel. My friend owns this place.”  
“Then wh--?” Alastor’s voice caught in his throat as the doors opened, revealing the strip club. “You have brought me to… a den of iniquity.”  
“And not the kind you like, huh?” Lucy asked with a wide grin. “It’s okay if you’re scared. You can just go back up to the room and wait.”  
Alastor’s eyes narrowed, but he continued to smile. Stepping out of the elevator, he gestured to Lucy and said, “After you.”   
Lucy calmly walked past him and into the room. Lucifer sat at the piano. He wasn’t playing anything, and he seemed to be deep in thought. Quietly making her way to the piano, Lucy looked around the club. Maze was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she was hunting a criminal.  
“You okay there, buddy?” Lucy asked and plopped into the seat beside him.  
“Lucy!” Lucifer said with a smile. “You wanna play a song with me?”  
“Sure thing… but there’s something I need to ask you. Do you know anything about angelic weapons?”  
Lucifer raised his eyebrow as Lucy took out the weapon that had hurt Anti. She continued, “Anti got hurt by this weapon. He’s already healed, but he’s still tired. It didn’t even cut him that deep.”  
“Anti? Oh, your demon in a box,” Lucifer said after looking confused. “So he can get out of his box… interesting.”  
“In that world he can… because it’s Hell. A different version of it.”  
Lucifer’s eyes widened, and he glanced at Alastor, waiting in the shadows.   
“Hmm. Is that a new friend?”  
“Of a sort, I guess.”  
“Well, a friend of Lucy’s is a friend of mine. I’ll text Maze. She’s an expert in the art of torture… but perhaps he just needs rest. The wound healed. It could be that he’s not used to running around that much.”  
Lucy nodded solemnly, hoping that was the case. One of the strippers wandered over to Alastor and seemed to be interested. Alastor did look more human than usual, but he was still quite tall. No doubt she found him good-looking.   
“So… you’ve found another demon friend. Maze is going to be jealous,” Lucifer said teasingly, taking a sip of his drink.  
“Oh, she’ll be fine… probably. And WHY are you putting your drink DIRECTLY on the piano?!”  
Lucifer smirked and said, “Some things never change… Alright, you win. Could you get me one? I think they’re in the back storage.”  
Lucy rolled her eyes and got up. She gave Alastor a small wave of encouragement as he looked at her with panic-stricken, pleading eyes.  
“Hey, Lucy’s friend, come have a chat with me,” Lucifer said as Lucy got to the edge of the room.  
Lucy gave Lucifer a curious look but walked out of the room once she saw Alastor relax and walk toward Lucifer. She briefly wondered what they were chatting about as she looked for the coasters. Finally finding the box, she grabbed a couple of them and left the storage room. She entered the stage room to see Lucifer and Alastor staring each other down. More importantly, Lucifer had set the drink down on the piano again.  
“Uh, something wrong, guys? And your drink, Lucifer.”  
Lucifer laughed and lifted his drink, so Lucy could put a coaster underneath it.   
“Honestly… you shouldn’t even have it near the piano,” Lucy mumbled irritably.   
Lucifer patted the seat beside him and asked, “Won’t you play one song with me?”  
With a big sigh, Lucy sat on the seat and asked, “What did you have in mind?”  
“How about—?” Lucifer started before a woman’s voice called his name.  
“Lucifer! Are you here?” Detective Decker asked in a trembling voice before entering the room. She took notice of Lucy and Alastor and stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh, sorry… do you mind if I borrow him for a minute… or a few minutes?”  
Lucy peeked at Lucifer’s face. There was a hopeful yet fearful look in his eyes.  
“Sure. He’s all yours,” Lucy said and got up from the piano. “Lucifer, make sure to text Maze, okay?”  
“Ah… okay,” Lucifer said uncertainly, and he looked uncertain as to whether he wanted Lucy to leave the room or stay.  
Lucy glanced at the detective. Her fist was shaking a little, but her eyes seemed resolute. With a small start, Lucy realized that the detective must have seen something to make her believe Lucifer really was who he said he was. Lucy smiled a little. The detective was afraid, but something in her eyes told Lucy that she was fighting that fear. Lucy gestured to the elevator, and Alastor followed. Once in the elevator, Alastor relaxed before looking to Lucy with curiosity in his eyes.   
“Don’t ask. It’s none of our business,” Lucy said sternly.  
Alastor gave her side-eye and said irritably, “You’re only saying that because you know what’s happening.”  
“I have a suspicion… I just hope everything goes well. What were you two talking about while I was gone?”  
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”  
“Okay,” Lucy said lightly and got off of the elevator. She took out her key to unlock the door to her room.  
Alastor seemed annoyed but followed her into the room. Lucy checked the dresser in the back of the room. She had left some things before. Hopefully they were still here.  
“A ha! Found it!” Lucy said excitedly as she grabbed her phone. Noticing Alastor’s curious look, she explained, “It’s a cell phone. I can just send a message to Lucifer to call me when he’s free to talk. You want to look around, right?”  
Alastor looked excited and intrigued as he asked, “So you trust me?”  
“For now. You trusted me enough to take me to meet Rosie… but I’m still not going to allow you inside my ship.”   
Alastor’s eyes narrowed again, but he still wore a smile. Clearly, he didn’t like that. Too bad. The ship was sacred space to her. She wasn’t going to risk him getting inside and somehow causing damage. Now that she thought about it, how was he here? Anti was only really able to materialize in Alastor’s world; however, Alastor had no problem being here now. Perhaps it was because of the deal Anti and Lucy had made. Or maybe because Alastor was once human. She supposed it didn’t matter much, but it still bothered her.  
A thought occurred to her. What if Anti’s reaction wasn’t just to the blade but also being corporal? She still wanted Lucifer’s thoughts before she left. Besides, the watch needed charging, and she might as well get supplies while she was here.   
“But there are some rules before we leave. No hurting or killing anyone. Not even if you think they deserve it. And you are to stay with me, so I can make sure that you’re following that rule. Is that clear?”  
“Clear as crystal,” Alastor said excitedly and ushered her out of the room and to the elevator. “I’ve never been to another world before. What kind of exciting adventures do you have planned for us today?”  
“Well, what do you want to do? This is Los Angeles… there’s a lot to do here. I know you’re probably not too interested in the strip club downstairs, but there are other venues. Maybe we can find something to your liking.”  
Alastor tilted his head before he gestured to the door. Lucy quickly sent her message to Lucifer before she made her way out the door. As Alastor shut the door behind her, she gave him a hesitant smile. He was behaving so far. Now all she needed to do was keep him away from trouble long enough for Lucifer to settle things with the detective. Alastor bopped his head slightly to the elevator music while they waited for it to get to the first floor. He seemed to like music, she noted. There was a place that might hold his attention for a while.   
The elevator door opened, and Lucy hesitantly stepped out and took a look around. Lucifer must have taken the detective somewhere else to talk. With a sigh of relief, Lucy gestured for Alastor to follow her. She led him out the building and toward a nearby club.  
“Lucy?” Alastor asked hesitantly, looking at the building warily.  
“I promise, no tricks. You’ll like this place.”  
Alastor still looked unsure but followed her inside. Lucy watched as his eyes widened with delight as he looked around. Men and women wore swing inspired outfits and danced as music blared through the speakers.  
“I think it’s called ‘electro swing.’ I thought you might like it,” Lucy said before noticing the almost wistful look in Alastor’s eyes.  
“I do,” he said with delight as he watched the musicians perform alongside the DJ. He held out a hand and asked, “Might I have this dance?”  
“Ah… oh, I don’t dance. I’m more likely to step on your toes than in time to the music,” Lucy said and looked away. She could feel her face get warm as she waved her hands in front of her.  
“Please,” Alastor said in a low voice, and Lucy peeked at him. He looked at her pleadingly with his hand still outstretched. “I can outmaneuver your steps if need be.”  
Lucy bit her lip before she hesitantly gave him her hand. “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”


End file.
